‘Didn’t see that coming’ – Twitterati confused as Ravindra Jadeja comes ahead of Ajinkya Rahane to bat in 4th Test
Ajinkya Rahane has been short of runs lately.
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With India suffering a humiliating innings defeat in the third Test at Headingley, many expected to see some changes in their batting line-up. Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was most likely to face the axe as his recent performances have been nothing but below par. Although the veteran batsman retained his place for the fourth Test, he has surprisingly been demoted in the batting order.
Rahane, who has been India’s designated number five for a while in Tests, didn’t come out to bat after India lost their third wicket while batting first in the fourth Test at the Kennington Oval. Instead, Ravindra Jadeja emerged from the Indian camp to tackle the England bowlers. It was indeed a surprising move as the southpaw has mostly batted lower order in the Test matches.
Moreover, Rahane, who hasn’t done well lately, still boasts of a staggering record in Test matches. Hence, fans and experts found it hard to decode India’s strategy behind the bizarre move. If one comes to think of that, Jadeja’s batting form might have prompted the decision. The southpaw has done well with the bat series and even scored an impressive half-century.
Ravindra Jadeja has three triple-centuries in First-Class cricket
It also must be noted that India doesn’t have any left-handed batter in the top order. This also might be a reason behind Jadeja’s promotion. One must also not forget that the veteran all-rounder has as many as three triple-centuries in First-Class cricket. Hence, England bowlers can’t afford to breathe easy against him.
Meanwhile, the five-match series is currently poised at 1-1 after the first three games. Hence, the winner of the fourth game would take an unassailable 2-1 lead. The toss landed in England’s favour and Joe Root put India to bat first. While the openers tackle the new ball with precision in the first few overs, Rohit Sharma’s dismissal turned the tide in England’s favour.
KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara also fell prey cheaply as the visitors were reduced to 39/3. Nevertheless, skipper Virat Kohli joined forces with India’s new-number five, Jadeja, and the duo made sure India don’t lose any wickets at lunch on Day 1. However, the duo has a job in hand to bring India back in the hunt.
Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitterati reacted to Ajinkya Rahane’s demotion:
Surprised not seeing Ajinkya Rahane at no.5
It's time our vice-captain steps up and contributes to the team in a big way#ENGvIND
— Vinod Kambli (@vinodkambli349) September 2, 2021
Jadeja over Rahane? Didn’t see that coming. #EngvInd
— Wear a Mask. Stay Safe, India (@cricketaakash) September 2, 2021
I think this is something good, lefty righty combination. #IndvsEng
— Khaleel Ahmed (@imK_Ahmed13) September 2, 2021
Wtf Jadeja at 5, Rahane being protected 😭😭🤣🤣🤣🤣
Kohli saab double digit complete, 23K complete, now get out.— Andy (@WeBleedBlue007) September 2, 2021
Rahane se pahle jadeja wo v 3 Wicket jldi girne ke baad 🙄🙄
Kya hi chl rha h💁♂️#IndvsEng— Aniket Srivastava (@the_aniket28) September 2, 2021
Jadeja at 5 could well be a long term move. Better than pant for sure and Rahane could do with some embarrassment. #ENGvsIND
— Sunny Side Up (@Half_Fri) September 2, 2021
Rahane wouldn't have survived that Anderson spell. Jadeja played well and also protected kohli
— Div (@div_yumm) September 2, 2021
Kohli called Jadeja ahead of Rahane only to somehow justify his selection of Jadeja over Ashwin. Bottom tier captain this Kohli, thinks only about self & not the team. #MakeRohitIndianCaptain
— Rishabh (@Scar3rd) September 2, 2021
There is no place for Ajinkya Rahane if Jadeja is coming to bat at 5. It doesn't make any sense.
— Brainfaded (@iRoshan_Rv) September 2, 2021
Lol such a weird commentary "Jadeja is in may be because Rahane isn't ready",
Is he getting ready for party or else something 😂…#ENGvIND— Giri ✨ (@giri7781) September 2, 2021
#Jadeja batting ahead of #Rahane indicates the lack of confidence management has in his batting. I don’t know why is he getting selected ahead of #Sky or #Vihari #IndvsEng #Ovaltest
— Sadaf Sayeed 🇮🇳 (@Sadafsayeed) September 2, 2021
Rahane after seeing jadeja promoted ahead of him #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/S9YsECVs8Y
— ꧁✶∞ ₮ⱧɆ ₩₳ⱠⱠ ∞✶꧂ (@why_so_lethal) September 2, 2021
Rahane might not be ready and not even Pant too,Jadeja at 5 is an out of the box decision-Sanjay Manjrekar#ENGvIND
— Geofinn_12 (@12Geofinn) September 2, 2021
Jadeja coming before Rahane & Pant, shows the pressure English bowlers have kept on the right handers.
— Vaquas Alvi (@VaquasAlvi_) September 2, 2021
sacrifising rahane's position is not good decision….😅
but promoting jadeja up the order is a nice move 👍— Priyanshu Khandelwal🇮🇳 (fb💯) (@Priyanshuinn) September 2, 2021
Good to see Jadeja batting at 5. This is the position where I think he can be the most helpful. Rahane at 6 and then Pant at 7. Pant likes to hit his shots and he has the freedom to do that while batting with the tail.
— Jai Elhance (@JElhance) September 2, 2021
Credit should go to Rahane. More than Jadeja's ability to handle swing, its Rahane's inability that pushed him forward.
— Dev (@dev__45) September 2, 2021
If #Jadeja is worthy of batting ahead of #AjinkyaRahane the why even select #Rahane ? might as well select #Sky or #Vihari #IndvsEng #Ovaltest
— Sadaf Sayeed 🇮🇳 (@Sadafsayeed) September 2, 2021
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